A Group of Roman Provincial Coins of Caesarea in Cappadocia from Niğde Museum

Year 2023, Volume: 11, 243 - 288, 21.06.2023

Serhat Foça

Abstract

Due to the city’s strategically important geographical position in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, the Caesarean mint remained active for the next three centuries, since AD 17, when Cappadocia was constituted as a Roman Province. The Caesarean coinage is distinct and displays a number of features that justify its significance. As part of this paper, we present a catalogue of selected Roman provincial coins of Caesarea in Cappadocia from the Niğde Museum’s collection, denoting different legend and type combinations on the obverse and reverse of the coins. Later there follows a brief study of the variety of coins issued under the Roman sovereignty of the province from the time of Claudius to Gordianus III. Even though the legends on the coins follow the same order, the designs, particularly those on the reverse of the coins, reveal the broad diversity of the objects. The majority of the types have merely local significance, and any possible variance tends to refer to the local cults pertinent to the city, with Mount Argaeus appearing as the most commonly represented image on the coins of Caesarea. Other types are infrequently used, yet we see imperial symbols making their way into provincial coinage, alluding to historical events and conquests of the Empire.

Keywords

Roman Province, Caesarea, Cappadocia, Coins, Mount Argaeus

Supporting Institution

Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University

Project Number

SOB2016/08BAGEP

Niğde Müzesi’nden Bir Grup Kappadokia Kaisareia Roma Eyalet Sikkesi

Abstract

MS 17’de Kappadokia’nın bir Roma Eyaleti olmasıyla imparatorluğunun doğusunda stratejik olarak önemli bir konumda bulunan Kaisareia kenti, üç yüzyıl boyunca aktif bir darphane olarak varlığını sürdürmüştür. Kaisareia sikkelerindeki çok sayıdaki farklı betimlemeler bu sikkelerin çeşitliliğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu çalışmanın katalog kısmında, Niğde Müzesi Koleksiyonu’nda korunan ve Kappadokia eyaletinde yer alan Kaisareia’nın Roma Eyalet sikkeleri incelenirken; metin kısmında Roma Egemenliği altında bir eyalet olarak varlığını sürdüren Kaisareia’nın, Claudius’dan III. Gordianus’a kadar olan zaman aralığını kapsayan sikkeler ayrıntılarıyla açıklanmak, tadır. Bu sikkelerin ön ve arka yüzlerindeki yazılar çok değişkenlik göstermezken, özellikle arka yüzü olmak üzere, betimlemelerde farklılıklar görülmektedir. Çalışmada incelenen sikkelerin çoğunluğunda yerel özellikler ağır basmakta olup, kentin kült ile ilgili betimlemelerine yer verilmiştir. Bu bağlamda, Kaisareia sikkelerinin üzerinde en çok kullanılan betimleme Argaios (Erciyes) Dağı olarak göze çarpmaktadır. Buna karşın tarihsel olaylar ve imparatorluğun fethettiği yerlerin gösterimlerinin yer aldığı sembolik betimlemeler daha az kullanılmaktadır.

Keywords

Roma Eyaleti, Kaisareia, Kappadokia, Sikkeler, Argaios Dağı

Project Number

SOB2016/08BAGEP

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